1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of protective covers for automobiles and more specifically to an easily deployed cover and attachment system for JEEP®-type or open recreational vehicles and a connecting system which fastens the cover to the vehicle in a secure fashion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When owning a JEEP®-type vehicle the convertible top does not open and close with a push of a button as other convertible vehicles perform. With a JEEP®-type vehicle the top, when removed or reclined, usually stays removed for an extended period of time. When the traditional top is reclined the interior of a JEEP®-type vehicle is exposed to many harmful elements. The sun causes the interior to fade and crack, the rain can cause mildew and condensation in the dash, morning dew although not rain can certainly dampen the exposed interior of a vehicle and dust blowing around settles into the interior. All of these elements can rapidly age and ruin the exposed interior of a vehicle. Animals, such as cats or dogs tend to climb into a JEEP®-type vehicle, while the top is removed and urinate or bring more dirt into the vehicle. Bird droppings and leaves or sap from trees tend to end up in an exposed interior. Leaving items unattended in an open cab vehicle also invites a criminal element to steal those items. People dislike all of this exposure to elements that ruin a vehicle. Theft of belongings also occur when a criminal element can easily reach inside a vehicles cab. This damage to the interior can be prevented by covering the vehicle when parked, which also aids in the prevention of theft. The cover must be very quick and easy to deploy, to be a suitable option for daily use. A cover that takes seconds to deploy, that can be easily stowed and that effectively can be a part of a JEEP®-type vehicle people is the best solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,155, issued Nov. 15, 1994 to Kuwahara, provides a car cover that has a bag for storing the cover. The bag can be stably mounted on the trunk, and in this state the cover can be put on the car smoothly. A pair of triangular sheets are connected to the bag. The bag is secured to the cover member through a gusset provided between the triangular sheets. A belt connected to the free ends of the triangular sheets is put around the hinges in the trunk room. A mounting sheet is stitched to the edge of the opening of the bag and is fastened to the interior surface of the trunk by hook-and-loop fasteners provided near its front edge. After supporting the bag on the rear wall of the trunk by fastening the triangular sheets and the mounting sheet, the trunk door is closed and the cover member is taken out of the bag and put on the car. The locking mechanism of the trunk door can pass through a gap between the triangular sheets or a hole formed in the mounting sheet, so that the trunk door can be closed and locked
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,857, issued Jul. 25, 2000 to Rivas, shows a car cover assembly incorporating a container that is adapted to be anchored to a portion of an automobile. The car cover assembly includes an anchor member in the form of an elongate pipe or tube that is attached to the container containing the cover via straps. The pipe is adapted to be deposited in the trunk of the automobile and the trunk lid can then be closed on the straps so as to anchor the container to the rear end of the automobile. The cover is stored within a cavity defined by the container and the cover includes a handle which is accessible by the user. The user grasps the handle and extracts the cover from the container while the container is anchored to the rear end of the automobile and then correctly positions the cover about the automobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,795,207, issued Jan. 3, 1989 to Clarke, discloses a vehicle cover useful for small trucks such as pickups and vans, comprising a central panel having a width of about the width of the vehicle and a length slightly longer than the side elevational profile taken along the front, top and back of the vehicle; a pair of side panels having a shape generally corresponding to the side elevational profile of said vehicle; the side panels being attached to the central panel along the length thereof to form junction seams which define a pair of parallel vertical planes spaced apart by the width of the vehicle; and an elastic band member having a relaxed state slightly less than the rectangle defined by the length and width of the vehicle, the band being circumscribed by the lower terminal edge of the panels. Clarke is too cumbersome by covering the entire vehicle and does not have a reliable means for preventing complete removal. Clarke's design would take too long to deploy to produce the desired effect of daily protection for an exposed interior.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,286, issued Apr. 25, 1995 to Huang, shows a protective cover apparatus for the passenger compartment of an automobile that includes a cover, a semi-pliable metal hook linked to a handhold on the cover by a cord for securing the cover to the front of the automobile, a storage pouch for storing the cover and an adjustable belt fixed to the storage pouch for securing the pouch and the cover to the trunk of the automobile. In a second arrangement, the front end of the cover is secured to the windshield by suction pads under the handhold. The storage pouch is replaced by a pair of tie-down straps and a roll-up sheet. The tie-down straps tie the folded cover to the roll-up sheet before the roll-up sheet wraps up the cover for storage. Both arrangements are similar in operation but have different advantages in manufacturing. The first arrangement is capable of fitting automobiles of different sizes or styles with one single size while the second arrangement requires specific sizing to fit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,245, issued Sep. 14, 1993 to Kashino, is for embodiments of a vehicle top cover, each having a roof panel and two flexible side panels that form a vehicle-top shape and a means for holding down the rear of the vehicle top cover on the vehicle. The roof panel covers most of the front window, roof, and back window, and is held down on the front window by the windshield wipers or, optionally, is tied to the wipers. The side panels extend from the roof panel and are shut in the vehicle doors to secure the cover to the vehicle and to hang down inside the vehicle interior along the inside of the side windows. The rear edge of the vehicle top cover may be held down by a flap or a weighted flap that is shut in the trunk or by a weight attached to the rear edge of the vehicle top cover that lies on the outside of the vehicle. The flap may also be a stuff bag which is turned inside out and stuffed with the roof panels and side panels for storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,641,203, issued Nov. 4, 2003 to Everett, claims a windproof and theft proof vehicle cover having a retaining piping disposed along an edge thereof to tether the cover to a vehicle or other object. Retaining piping is preferably disposed such that a portion of the cover passes through an opening in the vehicle and the retaining piping cannot pass through the opening, thereby preventing the removal of the cover from the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,728, issued Jan. 24, 1989 to Akers, describes a cover for a vehicle body including a hood fixed to a bag by a strap, which bag can be placed inside a vehicle door and the door closed to prevent unauthorized removal. The bag is also sized to contain the cover for storage. Additionally, a hook assembly including a semi-pliable member is fixed to the strap and used to hold the hood on the vehicle while allowing easy adjustment of the strap length. Akers does not have rear of cover permanently attached and strap from pocket to cover could easily be severed to allow removal of top.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,418, issued Jun. 24, 1986 to Koh, indicates a vehicle cover for protecting a vehicle having a front, a trunk, an outer surface, and an underside. The cover has a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the vehicle and also has an inside surface, a front, two opposite sides, and a rear. A connecting member is attached to the inside surface at the rear of the cover while a ring member is fixed inside of the trunk of the vehicle. A string fixes the connecting member to the ring member. Hooks are attached to the underside of the vehicle along the two opposite sides of the vehicle while holes, made along edges of the two opposite sides of the cover, secure the cover to the hooks attached to the underside of the vehicle. Koh is not suitable for a vehicle without an existing trunk such as a jeep-type vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,007, issued Aug. 28, 1990 to Shahrokh, puts forth a cover for protecting vehicle used to transport people and a releasable connecting system which releasably connects the cover to vehicle outside of vehicle. The cover is a flexible sheet that is sized and shaped to cover the exterior surfaces of the passenger compartment of vehicle. The opaque and reflective qualities of cover prevent compartment from getting uncomfortably hot or damaged from exposure to summer sun. Use of cover during winter shields the vehicle's windows from ice and snow. The cover and connecting system also serve to deter and resist entry of unauthorized persons into vehicle. The first typical embodiment of the connecting system includes arm, fastener, and anchor. The arm is an elongated member with one end joined to cover and the other end releasably connected by fastener to anchor. The fastener is accessible from outside vehicle. The anchor is initially attached to vehicle by sliding anchor on vehicle's door edge. The anchor pinches door edge and can be removed from door only when door is open. The anchor remains attached to vehicle when the cover is on vehicle or removed from vehicle. For any embodiment of cover and connecting system, no doors or other closure members need to be opened to allow removal of cover from vehicle. The Shahrokh patent does not have a permanent attachment to vehicle when stowed making the design more time consuming and difficult to deploy and also lacks proper attachment around the front of the vehicle to prevent wind disturbance.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,716,433, issued Aug. 30, 1955 to Rawlings, concerns a protective covering for the turret portion of turret type automobiles including front side and rear windows. The cover comprises a rectangular sheet of flexible waterproof material for placing over the turret portion of the automobile, a plurality of spaced eyes affixed to the outer side of the perimeter of said sheet, a cord disposed through said eyes and having its end portions exposed to permit drawing the edge portion tightly about the lower of the turret portion of the automobile. The sheet has reinforced tape located at the portions that will engage the front and rear of the turret type automobile body. The sheet also is provided with a pair of stretchable straps extending from each longer side of said sheet. Each strap has a hook embedded in its free end portion for further securing the sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,749, issued Aug. 30, 1960 to MacDonald, illustrates a quick attachable and detachable cover for the open seating compartment of convertible vehicles. The cover comprises a rectangular lightweight plastic sheet having sleeves on the rear and forward edges thereof. A pair of flexible resilient cables having hooks on each of their ends are provided, one cable is loosely threaded through each sleeve. Once the cover is placed over the seating area, the hooks are engaged with the fenders of the vehicle to secure the cover in place. MacDonald does not provide a means for permanent attachment and prevention of unauthorized removal. MacDonald's cover would also take longer than the present invention to deploy again making the design less practical for daily use.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,667, issued Aug. 6, 1957 to Curran, is for a cover which protects the upper portion of an automobile. The cover comprises a waterproof, flexible rectangular sheet with U-shaped loops on its forward and rear ends that engage a portion of the vehicle's respective bumpers. The sheet further comprises a hem around its peripheral edge, which creates a sleeve for holding a cinching cord for further securing the cover to the automobile. Curran (1957) has a tension adjustment in periphery of top but does not stay attached to vehicle when stowed and would take too long to deploy. Curran's design also protects the entire vehicle causing the invention to be too impractical for daily use.
U.S. Pat. No. D384,324, issued Sep. 30, 1997 to Barker, provides the ornamental design for a removable fabric top for off-road vehicles.
What is needed is an easily deployed cover and attachment system for JEEP®-type vehicles and a connecting system which fastens the cover to the vehicle in a secure fashion.